Tournament of Darkness
by G-money F.F
Summary: The world is threatened by an alien race. The race is holding a fighting tournament, winner take all, loser dies.
1. Who will Fight?

The Tournament of Darkness

**Chapter one: Who will fight?**

The year was 2900, a peaceful time with no wars. The government has had friendly relations with deep-space aliens since 2535. Then came a strange transmission from an unknown source.

Earthlings, you are invited to the Tournament of Darkness, to be held in one year on the planet Dangdra. You are to choose two fighters of your species for this fight to the death battle. We strongly advice you to accept our invitation, because if you deny, or lose, then your galaxy will be wiped out. Pick your fighters with care, for, they are your only chance of survival.

"Where is this transmission being sent from", demanded the president. His secretary answered, "The circuit has been cut, we cannot track it, but they sent location of this planet Dangdra. "Well", said the president, " it appears we have no choice then, call the news stations, we need two fighters for this tournament, and they need to be skilled.

After announcements on every news station, tryouts, and some research, they had their fighters:

Dante': a young powerful fighter at the age of 19. He is a black belt in several types of karate, and a skilled swordsmen. He had special powers ever since he was 6. When he was 2 he was in a serious car accident, in which both his parents died. He suffered a bad concussion and fell into a coma. When he awoke 4 years later he notice a serious problem. He couldn't control it, but he was able to use powerful telekinetic abilities. It took him 10 years, but he can now control his power to a certain extent. If he were infuriated or deeply saddened his power would explode into waves and beams of telekinetic energy.

And

Lyss: a quick-witted fighter who has been a black-belt in tai-kwon-do since the age of 14. She is also 19 and is unbeatable in any kind of fight. She is said to be able to see things before they happen, thus making her reflexes quick and a powerful ally in a battle. She is able to beat anyone, boy or girl, and she is not afraid of anyone.

When Dante' and Lyss were summoned by the president and briefed on the subject they had different views. Lyss was worried for her family and herself and wasn't sure about going. Dante', on the other hand, had no family, and in his mind, nothing to live for but fighting. In the end they both agreed and were given a week for goodbyes, training, and packing for the tournament.

They were on the first shuttle to the planet Dangdra, and as the ship disappeared into the sky, the world was in a state of shock and horror. They wondered whether the next few weeks would be their last.


	2. Meet the Competition

Chapter2: Meet the Competition

Dante' and Lyss arrived on planet Dangdra, after a nine hour flight. Lyss spent the time reading and training, while Dante' spent the whole trip in a meditative state. Lyss tried to wake him, but he was in an unbreakable wall of concentration. They hadn't talked at all except a few hellos when they met at the launch site 9 hours before. A couple other times she would try to make a conversation with him, he would grunt and turn away. She figured the death of his parents and the brought up on the streets, alone, had made him cold, which can be a deadly fault or a powerful ally in battle.

They finally arrived at the docking site, at which Dante' awoke at the first bump of landing. Lyss figured he had been sensing the entire trip, fully aware of all of the passing seconds. They took their luggage up to a normal earthly hotel room, where they unpacked. They then went down to the lobby for the team drawings. They were paired against a team from a parallel universe called Unathia. Their names were Puppetus, a clown-looking man with a long nose and pointed hat. The girl teamed with him was a mental fighter, like Dante', but with no physical power, and much more telepathy. Her name was Patria. Lyss was planning on observing from a distance, but then saw Dante' moving in to confront his counter-part Puppetus, she followed.

"Sooo, what do we have here", said Puppetus in a high-pitched, yet frightening voice. Lyss thought Dante' would keep to his quiet ways, but he answered, "Dante' and Lyss of earth." It was the first full sentence Lyss had heard him say. "Ah, earthlings, the weakest species in the whole third dimension", exclaimed Puppetus. Dante' appeared to take this personally as he began to cock his hand for a punch straight to Puppetus' jaw. "Put it down son, wait till the tournament, or are you that eager to die?" asked Puppetus. "You're the one whose going to die, you clown-faced piece of trash", answered Dante' in a loud and confident voice. Dante' departed with Lyss close behind. Patria hadn't said a word, but also didn't have to. The whole conversation she had been reading Lyss' every thought. She new her inside and out, every memory, every secret, and every technique Lyss had practiced in her life.

They went to bed rather early, for the tournament was the next day, and the first taste of how talented these aliens were.


	3. Puppetus pulls the Strings

Chapter3: Puppetus Pulls the Strings

The Dangdra's green sun was peering into the window, and woke Lyss at around 7:30 o'clock. She looked over to see Dante' changed into his fighting gear and holding a long skinny bag. "What's in the bag", she asked. Dante' said nothing but pulled out a slender katana. It was a beautiful sword. The blade immerged out of the mouth of a black emerald dragon, at the end of a diamond-incrusted handle. He was dressed in a red shirt under a black and red fighting vest, a black belt (obviously) and black pants with red highlights. He had a blue headband that he said used to be his baby blanket before his parents died. This was the first full sentence he said to her. Lyss went to the back room to get changed. She wore a simple outfit of lose sweatpants and a white tank top. She also wore her black belt, and said she didn't like formal tai-kwon-do apparel, so that's why she wore sweats.

They went down back to the lobby where the attitude had changed. The night before, everyone was excited and happy, today they were all quiet and focused. Lyss saw Dante' and Puppetus were staring each other down, trying to read the other's thoughts and feelings. She then saw Patria gazing at her, but it seemed as though she was looking into Lyss then at her. She was searching for any weakness, which she found.

Finally it was time for Dante's fight with Puppetus. He asked the refs who said he could use his sword. This gave him a great advantage on Puppetus, who looked scrawny and easy to break in half. He walked into the arena filled with screaming fans. Lyss was holding her ears, but Dante' seemed unaffected. He walked into the ring. The announcer came out to read the very short list of rules:

1-No hits below the belt 2-Fight till death

The bell sounded and the war was on. Dante' stood still as Puppetus ran in for a quick kill. Dante dodged all of his punches and cut him in half at the blink of an eye. Puppetus somehow reformed himself. "What the..", said Dante', but before he could finish, he had Puppetus' fist in his ribs. "Ok, sword isn't going to work" thought Dante', "So what should I do now?" When he finally came out of his thinking he couldn't see Puppetus. He looked up, there he was, levitating. Before he came to from his shock he was suddenly tied by invisible ropes on his arms, feet, and around his waist. Puppetus was in complete control. He then moved Dante's right arm and cut his left arm with the Spirit Sword. Dante' scream in agony while blood poured from the gash on his arm. Puppetus continued this tactic until Dante's clothes were blood soaked and torn. Dante' knew he was finished but then got an idea. He had been fighting with his body, when he should have been fighting with his mind.

Dante' closed his eyes and shut himself from the world. He could no longer feel pain, and was completely focused. He realized that when Puppetus moved his body parts around with the invisible string, it took too much power to control the whole body at once. He awoke in more pain then ever, but knew Puppetus weakness. When Puppetus went to slash Dante' again, Dante' moved his left arm down so he missed. The string holding Dante's left arm snapped. With a free arm, Dante' released a telekinetic power shockwave straight at Puppetus. It hit him right in the chest, sending him back. Dante pulled him back with the strings, and kicked him clean in the jaw on the rebound. The rest of the strings snapped and Dante' was free. Without his magic trick, Puppetus was defenseless. He tried all he could but Dante' was too quick. While Dante' was meditating he also realized that all Puppetus power came from his mind.

Dante' smiled. Puppetus knew he was going to die and fell to his knees. He begged for mercy, but Dante' knew it was a trick. He picked up his sword and walked in for the kill. Puppetus released another round of puppet strings. Dante' was ready. He cut the strings. Flipped over Puppetus and cut his head clean off his shoulders. Dante' waited, but Puppetus didn't reform. It was over. Dante' turned but fell to one knee. He had lost a lot of blood, and was loosing consciousness. The infirmary workers were out with a stretcher. They took him to a hospital wing, where they hooked him up to a blood transfusion. He stayed for a few hours, and was okay to go back to his room.

"How you doing?" asked Lyss. "I'm fine, but you have to go fight Patria now, remember?" answered Dante'. Lyss had forgotten, she had her fight in 20 minutes. "Oh, right! I'll be back afterwards. You stay in bed", Lyss told Dante'. "Whatever, just go win your match, the earth is counting on us." With that, Lyss left, heading toward the battle arena.


	4. Lyss's Greatest Fear

Chapter4: Lyss' Greatest Fear

The Stadium was louder than ever. Lyss walked into the ring, ready for business. Patria came to ring, but she wasn't walking, she was levitating! "Nice magic trick", said Lyss, but she was a little nervous. After seeing Dante' get cut up like that, she wasn't sure about this fight. "Shall we begin?" Lyss heard these words, but Patria wasn't moving her lips, she had used telepathy to talk to Lyss. "I know your one true fear", Patria "said" to Lyss. "Your Family, your afraid of losing them", she exclaimed. "I may not have the physical strength to kill you, but you'll beg for mercy when I'm done." With that, Patria closed her eyes and the ground began to shake.

"What's going… oh my God!" Lyss was confronted with her parents, staring at her. Then they began to back away, fading. They got darker and darker, until they disappeared. Lyss followed desperately and walked into a walked into a clean roundhouse kick by Patria. It didn't hurt much but it stunned Lyss for a second, enough for Patria to create another elusion. She was again facing her parents, who were smiling. A dark figured appeared behind them. It wrapped around their necks and began to strangle them. "Lyss tried to fight the figure, but it was too strong. "Let go!", she bellowed desperately, but her parents were gone. She fell to her knees, this elusion was far too real; she couldn't take it. She began to cry, her family kept dying in front of her face; it wouldn't stop.

"Lyss, you have to focus", it was Dante's voice this time. He had broken through Patria's elusion, and was talking to her telepathically. "It doesn't matter if you have telepathy or not, you can shatter this elusion if you try." Lyss closed her eyes and focused, she could see her parents getting destroyed by this dark figure. Then she saw that the dark figure was only Patria, surrounded by shadows of power. "That's it!" Lyss exclaimed. She saw an opening, and she took it. She ran at the figure, and through a powerful left hook. It went halfway through then hit something solid. Patria flew onto her back and wasn't moving. The match was over. The strain of having been hit while conjuring an elusion had killed her. Dante' and Lyss won the first round, Earth would live another day


	5. The Telepthy Hermit

Chapter5: The Telepathy Hermit

When Lyss returned to the room, she was beaming with enthusiasm. "I won", she yelled out loud. Dante' seemed uninterested, as he just glared at her. Although his left arm was in a sling, he was up and doing sit-ups. "Aren't you happy", Lyss asked.

"It's only the first round, do you want me to do cartwheels?" Dante was steaming because of his near loss to Puppetus.

"No, but some common courtesy would be nice", said Lyss impatiently. At that Dante' stormed out of the room and went outside. The Atmosphere was thicker than on earth, but the was still sufficient oxygen levels for normal life. There was a forest behind the living quarters of the battle arena, so Dante' decided he could get some quiet training in before his match tomorrow.

He started off into the woods. As he got deeper he began to sense another telepathy field, faint but still there. As he walked he felt it strengthen and weaken rapidly, so he followed the invisible path only telepathic fighters can see. He then was astonished to see thousands of rocks floating in midair and a dark figure in the center. He tried to hide in the shadows, but being a telepathy fighter made him know the figure wood pick up his "scent" in a matter of seconds. "Who is there?" came a deep almost mystical voice.

"Dante' of Earth", answered Dante', his curiosity had cancelled out his natural cold-heartedness.

"Ah yes I have been watching you for sometime now, since you were about 9 I think.

Dante' was very impatient and demanded, "What are you, some kind of stalker?"

"No I'm a telepathy fighter like yourself, but I don't fight much anymore, I teach." The figured lowered to his feet and turned around. He looked like an ordinary old man, but Dante' could tell he was powerful, but still seemed uninterested.

"What's your point old man?" Dante' said with high disrespect.

"I wish to train you", said the old man.

"I'm not interested", said Dante' as he turned and walked away.

"You don't know who I am", said the man as he got in the way of Dante's path.

"No, and I don't care", said Dante' with his hand clenched to the handle of his sword.

"I am Tenomas Maximo, the greatest telepath of all time." Dante' rolled his eyes, pushed Tenoma out of his way and left the forest. "You shouldn't let you arrogance get in the way of the development of you power", said Tenoma, but Dante' was still uninterested. "Come back if you change your mind", said Tenoma in a last effort to make Dante' stay.

Like that's gonna happen", said Dante' to himself. He went back to the room and went to bed, the second round was looming


	6. Round 2 Drawings, A Glimpse at the Final

Chapter 6:Round 2 Drawings, a Glimpse at the Finals.

The next day both Dante' and Lyss woke up early for some stretching and light workout, the 2nd drawings and bouts were both that day. Dante' was in a horrible mood that day. Lyss tried to talk to him, but all he did was snarl and turn away. They went down to the lobby to scout the competition. The drawing matched them up against a team of shadowy figures from (you guessed it) the dark realm. Lyss seemed a little nervous, but Dante' sensed that they had only average power levels, and wouldn't be problem. This was an assumption that would cost him dearly. Dante' walked to the workout center they had in the hotel.

Dante' was impressed by the variety of equipment. He was really enthused by the mind pods. These were airtight pods that channeled telepathy energy. It thrust telepaths into controlled environment in their own minds. There they can train, and their process will actually reflect on their physical build. You could feel pain in the pods, but luckily, you can't be physically injured. He went toward them with the first smile that Lyss had seen on his face. The pods were connected for controlled one-on-one training. Dante' didn't look to see who he would be fighting, but didn't care either.

He was in a large white room, a large figure stood in the corner. "Are you the one they call Dante'?" The figure had a crisp, deep voice.

"Maybe, and you are", Dante' was partially curious and a little impatient.

"I'm Akeo, the telepath of Zernan 5, a planet you probably know nothing about.

"Can't say I have, but enough talk, lets rock!"

At that Dante' charged at Akeo, but suddenly felt limp and weak. Akeo had a telepathic grip on him so strong; it had cancelled out almost all 6 (counting telepathy) senses. Akeo unloaded with a barrage of punches that nearly broke Dante' in half. He fell to the floor in squelching pain. His ribs felt as though they were in his throat, so he just stayed down, not wanting to risk more pain. "I believe you've had enough", said Akeo in a defiant tone. He then vanished as the elusion around Dante' faded. Dante awoke to catch a small glimpse of Akeo walking out of the door.

"Whoever that was, I'll see him again, I'm sure of that." Dante' walked toward the arena where he heard the screaming fans. He tried to think about the fight, but couldn't stop thinking of Akeo. He shook it off for the time being, he had more important things to worry about at the moment


	7. BLACKOUT

Chapter 7: "Blackout!"

The ring was bright and shimmering, but Dante' sensed darkness coming, but couldn't understand why. His opponent was standing in the center of the ring. "I don't think we've met, I'm Dante'" said Dante' in a sarcastic voice.

"I know you, I know you real well." The figure had a deep almost supernatural voice. "I'm Halifax, the Black prince."

"Interesting, a prince", said Dante' (Still being sarcastic). "Black is one of my favorite color, but I'll still enjoy ripping your dark corpse in half." That was the end of talking, Dante' drew his sword and stared down Halifax. Halifax smiled, obviously not taking Dante' seriously. This angered Dante', who made an all at lunge at Halifax with his sword.

"BLACKOUT", was the shriek that fell over the stadium. At that word black abyss poured out of Halifax, covering the arena and blinding Dante'. Dante' tried to stop himself, but flew into what he thought was Malofax's fist. Dante' flailed back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Well, this is just great!" said Dante' rather befuddled. Dante' tried to find Halifax, but couldn't even see his own hand. "Ok, eyes are out, guess he thinks I can't sense him either." Dante' tried to use his telepathy to form a second sight, but still couldn't see Halifax.

"Don't try, you can't see me, even with your power", boomed Halifax in a sadistic tone. He was right; Dante's telepathy was as blind as his eyesight at this point. Dante' thought hard "So, how do you beat an enemy you can't see or sense?" This question boomed in Dante's head until another shot to the jaw by Halifax sent him to the ground.

"Don't even think, you can't win anyway, just except it", Halifax was mocking Dante', a big mistake. Dante' was pissed and began to unleash his rage in destructive manners. Shockwaves of power boomed through the ring, knocking Halifax to the ground.

"I can't see you, but I know you're there." Dante' was now out of words, as the shockwaves continued. He levitated in the center of the ring, and the constant jolts were taken a toll on Halifax. His organs were beginning to vibrate more rapidly, and blood began coming out of his mouth. His power was weakening, and he couldn't maintain the dark cloud. Dante' gazed into Halifax's eyes and saw deep thought, but a weak mind. "So, there is a mind behind that black ugly smirk." Dante' smiled and then grimaced as he raised his hand to Halifax.

"What..are…you…..AHHHH", were Halifax's last words. He fell to his knees holding his temples. Dante' knew that he could take advantage of Halifax powerless brain. A flick of the wrist was all it took to kill Halifax's brain, thus killing him (obviously). The announcer was stunned, but regained his composure and called, "The winner…DANTE'." Dante' left the arena that was surprisingly silent, the crowed was just as confused as the announcer. They all knew that Halifax was dead, but how? Dante' could read there thoughts and smiled, being mysterious was what he liked.

He went back to the room with Lyss (Who had been at ringside). "How did you do that?" asked Lyss with enthusiasm, "That was amazing."

"Standard telepath maneuver, it isn't difficult, if you have enough power. You better get ready for your fight, these creatures are stronger than they seem, I guess my power doesn't work right on non-humans.

"We've made it this far, how tough can it get?" Dante' went on to tell her about his run-in with Akeo (After being with Lyss for a few days, he felt more comfortable talking to her). "My God! How will we stop that?

"If I knew, I would have beaten him, right", said Dante' impatiently.

"Well I guess, but don't you have any idea how do beat him"

"One, but I'll tell you later, you should think about your fight", said Dante thinking about Tenoma's offer of training him. "Maybe he wasn't so crazy, I could sure use him now."


	8. Shadow Doll

Chapter 8: Shadow Doll

Lyss took Dante's advice and put everything aside in preparation for her fight. She hadn't seen or even knew the name of her next opponent. Halifax had always appeared alone, and didn't seem to have a partner. Lyss wonder where she or it had been during the drawing and other times where attendants were mandatory. Lyss wonder if she had been a shadow fighter like Halifax and blended into the corner where no one would see. She figured that was the case because if a contestant is not at the drawings, they forfeit from the tournament.

Lyss walk to the ring with her head in a free-for-all. She was thinking about what Dante' had said about Akeo, about her opponent and what she would have to do to win, and what Dante' meant when he said he had an idea about how to beat Akeo. She had to push the thought of this guy out of her head and focus. She had seen that Halifax had a special power that protected his otherwise weak physique. She imagined what power his partner could posses. She stood in the center of the ring with the announcer waiting for the arrival of her opponent who the announcer called Moonlily. Lyss saw nothing but a puddle in front of her. A dark almost endless abyss lies on the ground in front of her. Slowly the puddle began to swirl and rise higher and higher. Soon the puddle maintained a steady, but not quite solid, figure of a little girl holding strange black doll.

"Hello", the voice seemed to echo eerily as Moonlily spoke. "Would you like to be my friend?"

"What are you talking about?" Lyss asked with a perplexed tone and expression.

"We're supposed to fight to the death, or would you rather play with your little dolly, cause I'll wait." Lyss was mocking Moonlily and she took notice.

"Don't make fun of Abby, you'll make him angry, but I'll still be your friend," said Moonlily.

"We're not friends, you little shadow puppet", Lyss was becoming impatient and thought this would end quickly.

"If your not my friend", Moonlily's voice became deep and monstrous as she screamed, "THEN YOU MUST DIE!" At that Moonlily disappeared, but Abby remained, floating in a dark aura in the same spot she had been standing. Abby grew larger and sprouted sharp claws and teeth. It became a two story high monster with its sights set on the destruction of Lyss.


	9. Swallowed by Shadows

Chapter 9: Swallowed by Shadows

Lyss stared up in horror as the monstrous doll backed her into a corner. She pressed her back against the cool stone wall that separated the audience from the fighters. Lyss dodged Abby's black claw, but her momentum sent her head-first into the wall. She sat in a daze for a few seconds as the world spun around her making her sick. She felt the back of her head and saw blood on her fingers. She couldn't see straight at all so when Abby threw another slash it ripped into her back. The wound wasn't deep, but clearly hurt as Lyss fell to her knees in agony. Dante' stared on in terror. "How can she beat something that's 4x her size?" he thought to himself as Abby held Lyss' throat and lifter her 15 feet off the ground. It threw her 10 more feet into the air and, much to Dante's dismay, caught her in its mouth. Dante's stomach went inside-out when Abby swallowed her whole.

Down a dark slimy path Lyss fell as she tried to recover from her head injury. Her back was also burning from the slash Abby had driven into her spine. The 4 cuts were much thicker than they were deep, so they still bled all over her clothes. She landed in a dark chamber with a soft wet floor. She stood up and held her head.

"What happened", she thought to herself. "I feel like I got hit by a truck." She tried to look for any crevice or a hole she could get out through. She heard a loud buzzing sound that grew louder and louder. Lyss looked up in horror as a dark, half man-half insect…..thing.

"Another fighter, mmm you look a little thin, but I guess you'll taste fine all the same", the voice was slow and had a slight buzz to it, obviously coming from the insect half of him. Lyss was about to speak but was cut off by a front roundhouse delivered by the bug-thing. "I'm Zelno, the real face of the brat's doll. She wanted to fight with her father Halifax in the tournament, but had no physical powers. So she found me and cast a gypsy curse on me. She told me that I would get all the food I could eat; all I had o do was help her kill all her opponents." After finishing his story Lyss stared at him.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked as he tried another roundhouse. She was prepared for this one, and ducked under it. She tried to use a spinning trip maneuver as she hit the ground, but Zelno was too quick. He put his foot on her head and drove her face into the ground.

"I always tell my prey why I kill them, it builds up their fear; I love the taste of fear my dear, but I sense none in you, aren't you afraid of me?"

"The only thing I'm afraid of is your breath", Lyss said trying to insult Zelno, thinking his anger would cause him to make a mistake. He smiled, and then spat on her back wounds. The saliva felt like acid as it burnt through her skin. Lyss screamed in pain as he grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. He held her a few inches off the ground and punched her in the ribs. She fell to the ground once again and looked up at Zelno's grave gaze as he drew a long, organic-looking sword. He lifted it over his head and Slashed down at her. She closed her eyes and waited for the cool metal to pierce her skin. She heard a loud clang and opened her eyes. She stared up at Dante' with his sword drawn and meeting Zelno's in a burst of sparks. She stood up and noticed Dante' was semi-transparent. He looked around at her and nodded. Once she was recovered from the acid he sliced a wide gash in Zelno's ribs. His ghostly figured faded and vanished as Zelno cried out in pain as green blood poured from his ribs. Lyss knew the only way to destroy the monster was to kill him, so she ran in and jump-kicked him in he jaw. He stumbled back and spun slightly to his right. Lyss struck and grabbed him arund the neck. She hadn't intentionally killed anyone yet, so she closed eyes and twisted her forearms. She felt a snap in his neck and let go. He fell to the floor and released a large sum of blood out of his mouth. The monster tumbled over and broke down before the crowd's eyes. The vision of Zelno dimmed and vanished, but then turned to Moonlily. She looked up at Lyss and a tear fell from her eye. Lyss returned her tear with a grave look and a shake of her head. Moonlily's head fell back and she died. Lyss turned away and left the the arena of screaming fans. "How can you enjoy the senseless slaughter of others". She thought to herself. "This has to stop."


	10. Dante' Excepts the Offer

Chapter 10: Dante' Excepts the offer

Lyss Walked into the hospital wing and passed out on the table. Dante' had helped her walk because she was still in a lot of pain. Dante' stayed a while, but left to go on a walk. He wandered once again into the woods hoping to meet Tenomas again. He walked deeper and deeper until he was back where he first met him. Dante' notice a twinge in his senses and saw something move in the bushes. He drew his sword and walked over. He looked in bush and saw nothing. The twinge got stronger until it was clear Dante' wasn't alone. Tenomas sprung from a tree and threw a blue glowing bomb at Dante', who it in two. Both halves exploded against a tree, wiping it totally out of existence.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?" Dante' was fuming and the sneak attack from Tenomas wasn't helping his explosive temper.

"That wouldn't have killed, I was just testing your speed, you've gotten stronger since you've been here", Tenomas said, as he touched down on the ground after is dash a Dante'. "But you still have much to learn, have you considered my offer?"

"Yes, but can you really train me by the finals, I've met who I'll probably fight." Dante's face was a mix of anticipation and inpatients.

"I can, we can train during the 6 month rest period. Before the finals, the four remaining contestants get 6 months to rest or train, whatever suits them." Tenomas was smiling and Dante' knew why.

"What makes you think I'll let you train me old man?" asked Dante'

"Because you have no other choice, Akeo will tear you apart if you meet him in your condition." Dante' was right about to speak, but Tenomas knew the question. "Yes, I knew him; I was the only man to ever defeat him. 25 years ago we fought in another tournament on Dangdra. The stakes weren't as high, and I didn't kill him, but I could have. Our battle was one that went into the record books. I used all of my tricks and still hadn't knocked him down." Tenomas was gazing into space and Dante' felt a little sympathy. Dante' had called him old man and felt as though he was a waste of time. As Tenomas thought of his memories, Dante' saw the strong young fighter he once was.

"So, you think you can train me to beat him", asked Dante'.

"No, I can't. I doubt I can make you strong enough, but I can show you to take advantage of every dent in his armor like I did. So will you train under my tutoring for 6 months, do everything I say, and never argue my authority." Tenomas put out his hand and Dante' shook it.

"Agreed, but one question, how did you focus your power into a solid ball of energy?" Dante' could only make invisible waves of pressure.

"I'll teach you when you come back for your training, but I will teach you one thing now." Tenomas taught Dante' an easy trick to make his sword more powerful. Dante' could charge his sword to have a slight glow. Tenomas grabbed his sword and ignited the entire blade into a bright deadly glow. After only 10 minutes he had taught Dante' to do the same.

"Thanks, see you later." Dante' started down the path and turned, he felt a surge in Tenomas' power. Tenomas just smiled back and Dante' turned and walked back to see Lyss' room. The paramedics had suggested that she stay an extra night, so he figured he'd check on her and then go to bed. Although the next round was looming, Dante' was only thinking of the finals. In Dante's mind there was no competition anymore; the only thing that stood in his way was Akeo, and he knew it.


	11. The Winning Streak

Chapter11: The Winning Streak

Dante' reached the room where Lyss was being held over night for treatment. When he walked in Lyss sat up and stared at him. "I want to thank you for what you did inside Abby. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I just have one question, how did get in there?" Lyss' eyes were a mixture of curiosity and gratitude.

"I meditated in the corner of the stadium. I used my telepathy to form a copy of myself and send it to help. Unlike how I beat Halifax, that was an extremely complicated telepathic maneuver." Dante' sat in a chair next to her bed. "You should rest, the third round is tomorrow"

"Ok, I'll meet you in the drawing room tomorrow, goodnight." Lyss forced a smile even though her body was in agony.

"Goodnight." Dante' walked back to the room and sat on the bed. He cossed hid legs and levitated 2 feet above the mattress. He meditated on his fight with Akeo again and again. He also meditated on Tenomas' training offer. "Was it right to accept his offer. Will Lyss get upset that I'm not going back to earth with her during the break." These questions boomed in his head he sat back down on the bed. His head fell on the pillow and he drifted to sleep. His dreams were haunted of visions of Akeo. He awoke the next morning and went to the closet. He put on his fighting tunic again and went down to the drawing room. He met Lyss in the back as the judges drew numbers from a large glass bin.

The next rounds were the easiest fights Dante' and Lyss had fought. The third round for Dante' was against a fish-like man from Neptune. Dante' ended it in 12 seconds with a flip kick and a quick sword stroke that cut him vertically in two. Lyss fought his wife, who was a mermaid with a large bluish-green whip. Lyss flipped over her and grabbed the whip. She noticed a sharp blade at the tip. Lyss dodged a tail-whip and flick the bladed tip through the mermaid's chest.

The fourth round pitted Dante' and Lyss against rock-people from Boulgar. Dante' used his speed to dodge all of the rock's attack and sent several telepathic shockwaves directly at the beast torso. The large rock-man crumbled from the power of the blasts. Dante' left the ring and whispered to Lyss, "Aim for the abdomen." Lyss understood. She saw the female rock-person ad a large crack running from her chest to her waist. Lyss dodged the slower opponent and kept up a barrage of kicks to the large crack on its stomach. When the rock-woman was stunned from all the kick Lyss jumped on the wall that the day before she hit her head on. She jumped off and landed a spinning corkscrew dropkick to the crumbling abdomen. The rock-women tumbled back and fell. The large rocky body shattered on impact to the concrete ring floor.

All this time Dante' paid close attention to Akeo fights. There wasn't much to watch, though. Akeo ended all his fights with a telepathic blow that shattered most of his opponents' entire bodies. Dante' searched for any weakness, but found none. The only thing that gave him comfort was the fact that if Tenomas could beat him, so could he. He watched as opponent after opponent fall in under 5 seconds. "Well I guess Tenomas' training is my only hope at this point", said Dante' to himself as after he wached Akeo destroy his fourth round opponent. Dante' also noticed Akeo had no partner. All the teams he faced fought him in two matches, the man, and then the woman. This posed a great fear for Dante'. "If I lose, he'll fight Lyss." Dante' knew Lyss was a good fighter, but in his eyes, couldn't beat Akeo on her best day. Dante' didn't think about that, he had to get to the finals before he could worry.

The fifth round was quick as Dante' fought two dwarfs from a planet stuck in medieval times. Both dwarfs fell with little effort. Dante sliced his opponent in half as soon as the match began. Lyss kick the much lighter dwarf-lady high into the air. The poor women died on impact to the ground. Although it was the fifth round, Lyss still felt bad about killing all these living creatures.

The sixth round gave them a little workout. They fought two very fast fighters. Dante' held his own against the speedy little boy. Dante' eventually just gave up chasing him, so he sent out a shockwave that knock him off his line of running. The momentum of his speed sent him headfirst into the wall, killing him on impact. Lyss chased the little girl around the ring, but never got close enough to attack. She also gave up on her chase and simply put out her fist when the girl came at her at full speed. The impact killed the opponent, but broke Lyss' hand. The cast on her hand didn't slow her down a bit.

The next fighter was a vampire whose male opponent died in the third round. Dante' let Lyss fight her first. Lyss used the vampire's clumsy style against her. She waited for her to throw a hard left punch. As Lyss dodged, the vampire lost balance and fell forward into a shot to the face by Lyss' right foot. She then threw her hands at the vampire with an endless barrage of punches. To Lyss' relief, she didn't have to kill her; she simply gave up after 3 straight minutes of being beaten on.

The eighth round wasn't much of a threat to anyone. Dante' and Lyss wondered how their opponents even got this far. Dante' ended his fight quickly by kicking his opponent in the stomach and raising his sword above his head. At the site of this his opponent surrendered to Dante'. Lyss' fight wasn't much different. She landed one kick and her opponent began to cry. The fight was stopped by the judges when she refused to get up and fight.

Dante' and Lyss were one fight from the finals and couldn't be happier. Lyss showed her happiness with a large smile, but Dante' hid his as always. The ninth round was cut short when Dante' realized that there was no female opponent. So Dante' took to the only ninth round fight. This was going to be Dante's hardest fights yet. He walked into the ring and was faced by a dark, blue haze. The haze swirled as it saw him. The haze compacted into a circle, which formed into a person. Dante' was face-to-face with a dark copy of himself.

Swords clashed as a war was brewing in the ring. Sweat trickled down Dante' face as his clone matched each of his moves. Dante' made one final attempt. He jumped high in to the air and launched himself, blade first, at his copy like a bullet. The attacked worked, but with a price. The clone vanished when the blade connected with its chest. The crowd shrieked as Dante' fell to the ground. The dark blade of the clone was sticking out of his abdomen. Dante's eyes rolled back in his as he fell to the ground. The paramedics ran out with a stretcher. It took a few days, but Dante' was up and walking. "You ok?" Lyss asked him as she packed her bag to o back to earth for the six month vacation.

"I'll be fine." Dante sat on his bed staring at the ceiling.

"Why aren't you packing?" The question hit Dante' hard. He hadn't told Lyss yet that he'd be staying. Dante' mind wondered how she would react.

"Umm….well…" Dante's eyes met hers. "I'm staying." Lyss eyes widened and her mouth fell open

"WHAT!"


	12. Home At last

Chapter 12: Home At Last

Lyss stood in the center of the room with a glare that burnt through lead. As she stared at him, Dante' felt something he's never felt before, fear. "What do you mean your staying, what's wrong with you?"

"Listen!" Lyss stumbled back as the anger in Dante's voice filled the room. "What is there on earth for me? I spent my life on the street. No one cared about me, and I trusted no one. Everyone treated me as an outcast my whole life. You expect me to go back to a place like that?" Lyss felt hurt at Dante's words.

"I didn't treat you that way, and you're not an outcast. Why should you go back? Because it's your home, and you can't live here."

"Yes I can." Dante' went on to tell her about Tenomas and the six months of training he'll get if he stays. Lyss stood rigid.

"You can train on earth, why do you have to stay?"

"You just don't get it!" Dante' was fuming as he shouted down Lyss' throat. "I will never be strong enough to beat Akeo, but Tenomas can give me the tactics and confidence to do it." Dante' turned and walked to the window. "You wouldn't understand; you're just a silly girl. You can't understand how I feel, so just get it through your head, I'm staying final.

"Fine, do what you want, but don't think that I like it. I'm just a silly girl huh? Well better a silly girl with a soft heart, than a silly boy with one made of stone." Lyss took her bag and her clothes to the back room to finish packing. Dante's sorrow was drowned by his anger.

"You just don't get it", were Dante's last words before he went to bed

Lyss awoke the next morning. "Well I guess this is goodbye." Lyss looked over to find Dante's bed empty. Lyss searched every part of the hotel, but found nothing of Dante'. "The jerk couldn't even say goodbye, fine then I guess he wasn't who I thought he was." Lyss walked to the platform where the ship would take her back to earth. The thick steel door closed and the airlock clicked into place. "Goodbye Dante', have fun with your training", said Lyss with a deep frown smeared across her face. The ship took off in a blur of fire and ash. The planet Dangdra got smaller and smaller in the distance. Lyss took one final look at the planet before she turned away and walked to her cabin for the long trip.

She reached earth in 7 days just as before. The president was there to greet her as she got off the ship. "Well it's the lady of the hour", the president said with a smile. The smile faded as he said, "But where is the man?"

"He stayed behind." Lyss face was grim and firm. The president stood perfectly still.

"What was he thinking staying there?" Lyss went on to tell him about Dante, Tenomas, and Akeo. The whole story took about an hour, after which the president pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "Well if it's for the safety of earth, I guess its ok." The president stood up and shook Lyss' hand. "We kept most of the tournament details under wraps, so except your family no one knows you're here. Don't expect to get any welcome celebrations except from them, ok?"

"Ok", Lyss answered, and with that, she got in the car to take her home. Lyss sat in the car as she said with relief, "Finally, I'm home at last."


	13. Heart over Hate

Chapter 13: Heart over Hate

Dante' woke up around six on the day Lyss was supposed to head back to earth. He looked at her seeping figure in the other bed across the room. He went to the window and did his mourning meditation. He floated two feet off the ground for about an hour. When he finished he looked over o see Lyss still asleep. He was going to wait until she got up so he could say goodbye, but finally said to himself, "Goodbyes aren't my strongpoint" and he walked out the door. He told Tenomas he'd meet him at the forest entrance at 8, but got there an hour and 10 minutes early, so he walked into the woods, hoping to meet Tenomas on the way.

Dante' saw Tenomas meditating in a tree. "You're early", he said with a smile.

"So", asked Dante'

"No it's fine, the more training the better. Well, are you ready to begin?" Dante' couldn't answer; Tenomas flew through the air and dive-bombed him. Dante' jumped out of the way and went with an offensive of his own. His punches were all over, and weren't connecting at all. "Your style is wild, we'll have to fix that." Tenomas was only testing Dante', but Dante' was still getting frustrated. His power flared and his pace quickened. "You fight with your anger, you'll ware yourself out doing that." Dante' tried to flip over Tenomas but his body wouldn't let him. The sword wound in his ribs caught fire and he fell to the ground. "You have to know your limits. Know yourself, before you read your opponent."

Dante' looked up at the sky in pain. "Do you think I stand a chance against Akeo?" Tenomas stood with his back to Dante' and sighed.

I don't know. Truly you are a strong fighter, Dante, but you still have much to learn. Your anger is what controls your powers so we mustn't destroy it, but it is also your greatest weakness. Your anger makes you stronger and faster, but it also makes you wild. Without a focused target that power is useless." Tenomas stood rigid for a short while as Dante' got up slowly and dusted off his tunic. "Learn to fight with your mind. Your anger is a deadly weapon, but you need your mind to control it. Today I sensed your mindset in that 10 seconds of battle, and I saw a valiant heart and strong mind. The one problem is you never use your heart. You have locked your heart away when your parents died, but you need it now." After Tenomas speech Dante' felt guilt for the night before

"Maybe Lyss was right, maybe my heart in stone. I have to go talk to her."

"To late, the ship left 3 minutes ago, I'm sorry," said Tenomas with a sorrowful look on his face. "She was angry, she probably didn't mean what she said"

"But she's right, I don't trust anyone, and that's my biggest problem." Dante' felt something he had never felt before, remorse. Tenomas looked at Dante' and felt his pain.

"You can't turn this way on me. Everyone has a heart; we just need to reestablish yours." Teomas waited for his words to sink in. After he was sure Dante' had reflected on it, he said in a confident voice, "Lets get this training started. We have so much to do, but not much time."


	14. Dark Assassins

Chapter 14: Dark Assassins

Lyss spent her days at home talking with her parents and playing with her little brothers, but something seemed missing. When she had first got home her parents had invited all her relatives over to see her. She almost choked when she heard the question

"So where is your partner for the tournament? What was his name again…….uh"

"Dante'!", Lyss added with great frustration in her voice. "I don't know, he's a jerk anyway."

"Too bad", her aunt said, "Thought you'd maybe get a boyfriend out of it." Lyss' mind flashed with images of Dante' and she stormed out of the room without another word.

Mostly Lyss' days were pretty boring because the joy her little brothers was replace with annoyance and anger. She went for a lot of walks lately to think and observe if her little town had changed. She never did see much though, because she was always looking over her shoulder as if she was being watched. Lyss sometimes broke into a run when the feeling up her spine got too weird. Things went out of control when she found a message under her pillow saying

_Whatever you do, do not go back to the tournament, _

_If you go back, we'll have to destroy you!_

_Stay on earth or else!_

Lyss stood at her bed in silence. Someone obviously wanted earth to lose the tournament, but who? Lyss wondered if Akeo had hired men to sabotage her and Dante'.

Lyss didn't pay much attention to the warning, though she probably should have.

It was a cloudy day, and Lyss was out taking her morning walk. Before she knew what happened she was surrounded by creatures in black suits. "Gloc blo cronicic", said one of the creatures.

"What are you?" said Lyss perplexed. Another creature stepped up spoke.

"I'm sorry." This one's voice was the same growl-like accent as the other, but it6 spoke English. "We want to know your answer to our request." Lyss stood her ground and didn't flinch when they tried to scare her.

"Request? that was threat." Lyss almost laughed when she said this.

"What is your answer?" The creature was demanding her now.

"My answer is my business. If I go back or not is still up for debate." Lyss' tone was disrespectful and caused a shrill growl to go through the group.

"Well then, let us persuade your answer", said the best as it pulled out a electro blade, along with all the others.

"Just try it!" was Lyss final comment for the moment. The beast charged with there blades. Lyss leapt up onto the railing of a fire escape. She used a dive-bomb maneuver that took out several assassins. Lyss got up triumphantly, but felt a sharp pain I her back. The next thing Lyss knew, everything was going black as she fell to the pavement.

Lyss woke up in the same spot she fainted and wondered where the things that attacked her. She walked back to her house to talk to her parents about the attack, and hopefully asked the government agency that was in charge of her safety while on earth if they knew anything. She walked into the house to find it deserted. "Hello….mom…..dad….."

"They're not here, stop looking." A voice came from the shadows. One of beasts who attacked her walked out of into the middle of the room.

"Where are they?" Lyss demanded as she walked closer to the creature.

"They're safe and sound…."

"Where?" Lyss screamed as she through a punch that knocked the beast of his feet.

"At our headquarters, but if you do that again they'll be in hole soon." Lyss seemed to be fighting her own mind

"What do you want?" Lyss said final in a sorrowful voice. "If anything happens to them I don't…."

"Oh cut the crap, just follow me."

"Where are we going?" Lyss asked in a neutral voice this time

"To see your parents, that's what you want, right?" The beast smiled

"Where are they?" Lyss stood still. "I want to know now!"

"I can't tell you that would be stupid; you'd just go to the authorities. Lyss walked to the door at the creature's mercy.

"Fine, show the way." Lyss was totally distressed. The thought of losing her family stuck on her conscience as the monster walked to her side

"Hold still." Lyss looked perplex

"What…" Then Lyss felt a sting in the back of her neck and again she fell the paralysis of the electro-blades.


	15. Binding Friendship

Chapter 15: Binding Friendship

Dante's training regimen was taking its toll on him, yet producing results. The day consisted of series pushups, meditation, and the thing Dante' despised most, power balancing. It's simple on paper, there's a thin wooden spike to balance on. The trouble wax you balanced for hours, but you technically didn't balance, you floated centimeters above the spike with the power of one finger. Dante' would last for about an hour, and then usually pass out. Tenomas was easy at first, but after a month, Dante' found him to be the biggest jerk he ever met. He would constantly scream, "Get up! You have to focus, or would you rather Akeo kill you where you stand." Dante' usually just shrugged and tried again, but was getting really frustrated, until he finally snapped.

Dante' had just finished his mourning warm-ups and was preparing to try balancing for the 100th time it seemed to him. He lasted 2 hours before he fell to his knees. Tenomas' face turned red as he yelled "You know what, I'm surprised you lasted this long, you are pathetic." That was all Dante' needed. He used a technique he had jus learned, he sent a telepathic grenade at Tenomas.

"Pathetic am I?" Growled Dante' as he sent hundreds of telepathic waves at the dust cloud that formed from the explosion. Dante' was exhausted after throwing all he had at Tenomas. The dust cleared and he was gone. Dante' froze, "What have I done?" he said to himself.

"Less than you know", said a voice from above. Dante' looked up, but it was too late. Tenomas flew down and landed a sledgehammer punch to his jaw sending Dante' into a tree. "So you thought you have what it takes now, huh? Well let's see." Tenomas put a hand over Dante's head and began to inject it with countless blue bolts of power into his mind. Dante' fell to the ground in a trance. He looked around, and again was standing in the training room he fought Akeo before. Akeo was flying toward him and he barely dodged his lunge attack. He lasted a lot longer than he did last time, but still was utterly devastated. Dante' started the battle with a barrage of grenades that stunned Akeo. He followed up with a circle maneuver to catch Akeo by surprise. It didn't work. Akeo spun around quickly and grabbed him by the throat and through him into a pillar. Dante' spun and grabbed the pillar, thus forming a sort of boomerang effect with his own body. Dante' used the momentum to land a kick on Akeos face that seemed to only make him mad. Akeo grabbed Dante' again, but this time pushed him against the wall and began to unleash devastating power attacks on Dante's ribs and head. After a few minutes of this butchery, Dante's eyes went black and he awoke in the woods again under the watchful eye of Tenomas.

"So I still don't have what it takes", said Dante' in utter disappointment.

"So, are you ready to train under my instruction? Are you ready to follow everything I say without question?" said Tenomas in a strict, yet somehow compassionate voice.

"Yes!" Dante' yelled I've been ready." Dante' was fuming.

"No you haven't. You haven't been ready yet. You don't get it; your pride will destroy you more than Akeo will. You must get rid of it." Tenomas was just as persuasive as Dante' in an argument and sometimes even scared Dante'.

"That's not as easy as you think. All I've ever had is my pride. I had nothing, I lived on the streets, and my pride was the only thing that gave me comfort." Dante' was obviously troubled by his past memories, as his eyes shifted as he thought.

"If you want to train under me, you must!" Tenomas was losing his patience and Dante' looked uncertain.

"Ok, I'll try", said Dante' as he looked up into Tenomas' bold brown eyes.

"There is no try, it's yes or no. Whatever it is I won't mind, but your planet and…….Lyss….was it may." Tenomas nodded as Dante' pondered what had just happened.

"Ok, let's do it." Dante smirked as he nodded his head as Tenomas did before.

"Ok then, bend down." Dante' looked awkward.

"What?"

"Bend down. Trust me Dante' you won't regret it." Dante' did as he was told and went down to one knee. "Ok now we will perform the ceremonial pass."

"What's that?" Dante' seemed to be curious, yet still uncertain."

"It's when a telepathic elder passes on some of his power to the student, thus making them one." Tenomas put out his hand and motioned for Dante' to do the same. "Now close your eyes and tap into your deepest hidden power." Their hands glowed as power was transferred between the two. "How do you feel?" Tenomas smiled.

"Great!" Dante' felt a kind of other presence, and knew it was the part of Tenomas. "Ok when d we start."

"As soon as possible!"


End file.
